Marking the Alpha My Cousin Couldn't Tame Chapter 5

My claws punched out mid-fall and slammed into the cliff face. Stone cracked. My arms screamed. But I stopped falling.

*Save me? Choose between us?*

*I don't need saving. And I'm sure as hell not letting him save her, either.*

I dug in. One grip. Two. My wolf snarled inside me—not fear. Fury. The wet stone shredded my palms and I didn't care.

Somewhere above, I could hear voices. The search party closing in. Liora's sobs carrying on the wind.

I hauled myself up inch by inch until my elbows hit the ledge. Then my knees. Then I was standing.

Liora was still there. Sprawled near the edge, dress artfully torn, one hand clutching a root. Performing.

I grabbed her by the collar, dragged her back from the edge, and dropped her on solid ground.

She hit the dirt with a gasp. I stood over her, chest heaving, blood running down my forearms from where the rock had torn my skin.

Footsteps. Kaelen broke through the tree line at a dead sprint. His eyes went from me to Liora on the ground. He reached for my arm.

I shoved his hand away. "Don't. Go near her right now and I'll drive home tonight."

He went still. Then, without a word, he pulled off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

His scent hit me—pine and something warm underneath. I hated that I noticed.

I didn't thank him.

Liora sat up. Her eyes went wide—on cue—and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I almost died!" She clutched at her torn dress, voice pitched to carry. "She grabbed me and dragged me over the edge. Kaelen, your mate just tried to kill me—and you're standing there?"

Wolves poured into the clearing behind Kaelen. The murmuring started before Liora even finished.

"She's been here three days and she's already throwing people off cliffs?"

"Eastern wolves. No discipline."

One after another. I stood there, soaked, bleeding, and watched every face in the crowd turn against me.

*Their voices blurred into noise. Outsider. Troublemaker. Beta trash.*

Kaelen's hand closed around my wrist. I thought he was holding me back. Keeping me still while they decided I was guilty.

*Fine. I'd swing first. Dissolve the contract after.*

"Roxy would never do that."

His voice cut through the noise. Quiet. Final.

"I believe her."

He didn't look at Liora when he said it. He looked at me. His jaw was tight, his voice was calm, and his eyes—for the first time since I'd met him—were completely open.

*I stopped breathing.*

*Damn it. That was the worst possible moment for my chest to do that stupid fluttering thing.*

He turned to Liora. "And Liora—you won the pack sprint championship last year. Your wolf is one of the fastest in Cold Moon. If you'd actually fallen, you could've shifted and saved yourself in a heartbeat."

His gaze swept the crowd. "So why was she screaming for help?"

Silence. Liora's lips parted, but nothing came out.

"Bring Sable," Kaelen said. "Have her use a Moonstone Shard. The Truth Echo will show exactly what happened on that cliff."

A pack elder stepped forward. "Moonstone Shards? You'd waste pack relics on a personal dispute?"

"This isn't personal. This is about my Luna's name." Kaelen's voice hardened.

"She drove across the country to stand beside me. I believe she has far more to offer this pack than just resilience. Having her as our Luna—having this woman as my wife—is the luckiest thing that's happened to Cold Moon."

He looked at the elder. "I won't let anyone drag her name through the dirt. Bring Sable. Now."

The elder's mouth opened. Closed. He left without another word.

Liora scrambled to her feet, still clutching her arm, tears and dirt streaked across her face. "You'd waste a Moonstone Shard on a Beta who doesn't even belong here? She's not Luna. She's a stray you picked up off the highway."

I yanked my wrist free from Kaelen's grip, walked up to Liora, and slapped her across the face.

The crack echoed off the cliff.

She staggered sideways, hand flying to her cheek. For one second, the mask was gone—just shock and raw hatred underneath.

"You hit me?!"

She lunged. I caught her by the wrist and shoved her back down.

"Next time you touch me, I won't use the flat of my hand."